Aesthetics and Sita

The study of aesthetics, according to the mythical Bharata appears to be atypical from everything else we have studied. To further clarify, it does not seem to focus on logic and social structure as much as it focuses on emotion and the senses. Moreover, the Natyasastra’s Rasa constantly changes in definition. However it is understood to be, it’s descriptions always stems from being a mental state or an imitation of a mental state.

One thing I can relate to is how drama takes away the “I”. To elaborate, while seeing and hearing Sita Sings the Blues, I did not experience myself. Just like how I don’t pay attention to the nose on my face, I did not pay attention to my position in the classroom. However, I was emotional toward something that someone else, an animation, felt. (I was absorbing the story, I did not relate to any of the characters.) On a related note, I am not sure what becomes of the one who acts. Do they live as if the act is their world, or are they consciously aware of their self?